Let Your Heart Be Light
by MinimizeYourself
Summary: Nick sacrifices his beauty sleep for the sake of his boyfriend on Christmas morning. Story 3 in Troubled Water 'Verse.


**A/N: It's Christmas time! This installment in the Troubled Water Verse is shorter and far more uplifting than either of the previous ones. And that's because it's Christmas, and even I can't be that cruel on Christmas.**

**Don't forget to read the other stories in this 'verse. You can find a list of the stories in the Troubled Water Verse on my profile.  
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**Disclaimer: Glee isn't mine.**

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><p>Nick hasn't officially celebrated Christmas in years. No, not since he was about five or six years old, back when his mom didn't work overtime and when his dad didn't spend all of his Christmas bonus on whiskey for himself instead of gifts for his family. Christmas just didn't happen after that.<p>

He's never considered it as much of a loss. He hardly remembers the few Christmases he did spend with his family. They were nothing special, just a few presents under a store-bought Christmas tree and a store-bought turkey for dinner. And by the end of the night, when he was already beginning to tire of his new toy firetruck that was almost identical to the one the year before, his father would gruffly mumble a goodnight, and his mother would send him up to his room to tuck himself in for the night.

All in all, the holiday season isn't really anything special to Nick. Just a faded memory, a dull ache somewhere inside him that he can just barely feel when he thinks about other people's Christmases. However, he should've guessed that Christmas is a different ordeal in Jeff's family.

He's used to being woken up at ungodly hours of the morning by his boyfriend, but he knows he's in for a real treat when Jeff wakes him up by jingling bells in his ear, and then when Nick refuses to acknowledge his presence, Jeff proceeds to fling Nick over his shoulder and carry him downstairs.

"Ugh, what are you doing?" Nick mumbles drowsily.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Jeff replies.

"Kidnapping me?"

"I'm not sure how entirely possible that is, seeing as you already live with me," Jeff points out.

"Invading my personal space?" Nick suggests, closing his eyes.

Jeff scoffs playfully and says, "Nick, you know I don't believe in personal space."

"Taking away my beauty sleep from me?" Nick tries again.

"You don't need any more of that," Jeff says sweetly, patting the back of Nick's leg and setting him down gently at the bottom of the stairs. He tangles their fingers together and kisses him lightly on the forehead. "It's Christmas. Look alive, please," he teases.

"It'll still be Christmas in like, two more hours, right? Can't you wake me up again then?" Jeff laughs and shakes his head, pecking Nick once on the lips and dragging him into the family room.

Nick yawns and rubs at his eyes. He and Jeff had stayed up late last night, wrapped around each other snugly while Jeff carded his fingers through Nick's hair and hummed softly in Nick's ear. They had stayed like that for hours until Jeff slunk away to his room with a kiss on Nick's forehead and a whispered goodnight. Even after he was gone, Nick couldn't sleep, his mind still buzzing with the thought of Jeff's lips on his skin and the silver music note dangling from his wrist and the key on his bedside table.

And while it was one of the sweetest, most intimate moments of his life, he still got three less hours of sleep than he's used to. He loves Jeff and his family, but he also loves sleeping in the mornings, whether that morning happens to be Christmas morning or not.

He presses the heals of his hands to his eyes and blinks several times before trailing behind Jeff and settling onto the sofa next to Ted and Laura. Laura runs her hand down his back gently, and Ted pats him on the shoulder. "Merry Christmas, Nick," they chime in unison, and Nick mumbles back a reply sleepily.

"Sleepy, Nick?" Jenna teases from her spot on the floor by the Christmas tree.

Nick nods. "Yes. Your brother is a jerk. I'm never speaking to him again."

Jeff grins wide and says, "Somehow, I doubt that. Here," he passes a gold-wrapped package to Nick, "this one's for you. Don't open it yet." The little tag stuck to the tops reads "To: Nick, Love: Ted, Laura, Jeff, and Jenna".

Nick's eyes widen in surprise, and then he smiles and ducks his head bashfully because he knows he shouldn't be surprised that they bought him gifts as well, but it's not something he had expected, not in the least. He doesn't cry or get emotional, because Christmas doesn't mean as much to him as it does to others, but this is the first time it's ever really _felt_ like Christmas before.

So he neatly tears open his presents, unlike Jeff, who tears them open with vigor, he accepts a steaming mug of hot chocolate from Laura, and then forgets all about going back to sleep, since he'd much rather be right here anyway.

Because right here is Ted and Laura wearing matching Santa hats. Right here is Jenna strumming on a cheap, green ukulele. Right here is Jeff curled into his side with his head in Nick's lap, tapping his fingers against Nick's knee in rhythm with Jenna's music.

Right here is where he wants to be. Right here is where he wants to stay.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you all enjoyed this drabble-y little thing. I don't know how I feel about it because I'm not very good at fluff, but I hope you liked it anyway.  
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**Happy Holidays, everyone!  
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